Draft-rigging for railway-cars.



R. D. GALLAGHER, JR.

DRAFT RIGGING FOR BAILWAY CARS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, l914- RENEWED plus. 2 1916. 1,215,644.

Patented Feb; 13, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I- R. D GALLAGHER, JR

DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLlCATION HLED MAY 9, 19:4.

RENEWED AUG. 21. I916.

Pal-tented 1M). 13, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 i QIIIIII i 5 u wz whom wirbvwomzo R. D. GALLAGHER, JR.

DRAFT RlGGlNG FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9.1914. RENEWED AUG 2|.

Patented F eb. 13

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Trq E gmuemtoii RICHARD'D. GALLAGHER, .13., or NEW YORK, 111. Y.

DRAFT-RIGGING FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Application filed May 9, 1914, Serial No. 837,550. Renewed August 21, 1916.

To all whom z'tmay concern:

Be itknown that I, RICHARD D.-'GAL- LAGHER, Jr., acitizen of the United States,

residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Rigging for Railway-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following 'to be a full, clear, and exact description of'the'same,reference being had to, the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon. Y

This invention relates to draft rigging for railway cars, the objects of the invention be 'ing to make a very strong structure which will occupy a very limited space and at'the same time a structure which provides for the proper flexibility of movement of the cars With' relation to each other Without seriously cramping or of distorting'any of the parts of the rlgging, thus adapting the device for use in connection with cars havno platforms ,and. but a. little overhang be g ond the 'bolsters, such,.for example, as orecars and the like, although it will be understood that the invention be em bodied in draft rigging for any type of cars wherein it is desired that a ngging'of minimum dimensions shall beemploye The invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts all as will be now described and pointed outparticularly in the appended claims. 7

Referring to the accompanying draw- 1ngs'- p A Figure 1 is a -plan View of a draft rigging embodying the present improvements;

F1g."2 s a section in certain of the parts in plan;

Fig. 3 is-a section in a, central vertical plane longitudinally of the device, with the yielding pressure resisting member in dot ted lines;

Fig. 4 is an end View with the coupler shank in' section;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section-substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 6 is a similar section substantially on the lin 6-6 of Fig. 3; v

Fig. 7 is a sectionsubstantially on. the line 77 of Fig. 3;

Specification of Letters Patent.

: sills attached to the the draft a horizontal plane substantially central of the device with Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

Serial No. 116,190.

'Fig. '8 is a section substantially on the .line 88 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a side shank; and r Fig. 10 is a perspective view ferred typeof yielding pressure resisting mechanism, a plain' cvlindrical barrel being shown and a portion of the barrel and box for the friction members beingbroken away. Like letters of reference 1n the several figures indicate the same parts.

In the drawings, the longitudinal center .sills A which are conveniently of channel iron with the webs arranged vertically as usual, are adapted for the reception between them of the draft rigging of the present'in-- 'vention, which is rigidly attached to and incorporated with said center sills. It will be understood that thesills A referred to may be either the sills which extend through the car from end to end, or supplemental through-sills in any usual or preferred manner. The framing of elevation of the coupler.

of the prethe car, which is connected with the sills A,

may be'of any preferred character, the parts illustrated being thediagonal members B,

B and B ,'a transverse sill C and portions of the bolster at C.

Between thegextremities of 'the sills A there is rigidly mounted a casting indicated generally by the letter D, said casting being of a proper formation to receive and sup: port the shank of the coupler and to constitutethe abutment for the front follower of functions ofja carry iron for the coupler, of an abutment for resisting draft strains transmitting through the' coupler shank to the yielding pressure resisting members in rear of-th'e casting, and it may also form the ultimate stop for the coupler head when 7 driveninwardly by buffing pressure] In the preferred construction, the face of the casting is formed with a flange portion at which overlies or extends beyond the end of the sills and having at its center a substantially rectangular opening extending'rear- -wardly through the casting for the reception of the rectangular coupler shank -E.

The lateral dimension of the opening through the casting is considerably greater than the corresponding dimension of the coupler shank as will presently appear, and

While thebottom of the opening is substan rigging. It thus performs the loo tially horizontal and adapted to support the bottom'sur'face of the coupler shank through an intermediate wear-plate d, the upper wall of the opening is preferably flared uphorizontal clearance toallow of the necessary or desirable flexibility between the cars united by the couplers.

The shankE of the coupler is provided with an elongated transverse opening e, Fig. 9, for the reception of a transverse'pin F. This pin extends through openings in the side walls of the casting D and through the webs of the sills A, and is preferablyof ovalcross section with its greatest transverse dimension in the line of draft strains or so as to oppose the withdrawal of the coupler shank from the casting.

To permit of longitudinal flexibility of the coupler the openings (Z in the casting D through which the pin F projects are elongated to permit the forward movement of the pin in unison with the forward movement of the coupler, and the opening 6 in the coupler shank is elongated to permit of the movement of the coupler and its shank inwardly independently of the said" pin and the parts connected therewith. -6n outward movement from normal position, therefore, the pin and coupler shank move in unison, but on inward movement from normal position the pin remains stationary and the coupler shank alone moves inwardly.

The normal position of the coupler longitudinally is maintained by the yielding pressure resisting member of the rigging, and this member is located intermediate a front follower plate G which occupies a position within a rearwardly projectingflange (Z of the casting D and a rear f0llower casting H which abuts against a fixed stop or abutment I. The stop or abutment I is in the form of a heavy casting rigidly mounted between the sills A and preferably forming a part of the center framing of the car. It is provided with a vertical opening 2' therein to facilitate the insertion and removal of the center pin which works through the bottom plate I of the bolster. The rear follower or block H is' provided with. a

transverse opening for the reception of a pin K preferably of a cross section substantially corresponding to that of the pin F andthe 'two pins are connected together by side links L, which at their forward ends pro1ect into the opening in the front casting 'D on each side of the coupler shank, as will be readily understood from Figs. l and 5. To

secure flexibility a very slight clearance is provided in the openings of the links through which the pins project, and for convenience in' assembling and maintaining the parts in their proper assembled position, the front pin F is provided with a head 7 at one end and at the opposite end with a washer and cotter pin f, but the rear pin K is held in place and the links in proper engagement therewith by the webs of the sills A, as will be readily understood from Fig. 2. To permit of the assembling, the said webs are provided at a point intermediate the two abutments with an opening or openings a of proper size to admit the pin K, and when the rear follower block H and links have been initially positioned with their openings in line with the opening a, the pinis inserted and all of said members pushed back to their normal position.

Between the follower plate G and follower block H isv the yielding pressure resisting member, which is preferably of the well known Sessions standard fiiction draft gear type, having. wedge blocks O mounted in a friction box P on each side of a center wedge P. The center wedge P is held up :with yielding pressure by the springs P and the friction box is supported by a barrel or extension P The springs P and barrel P rest against the follower plate G while the wedge blocks 0 rest againstthe front face of the rear follower block H, whereby pressure in a rearward direction against the follower plate G tends to push the barrel and friction box rearwardly, and to compress the springs P directly from the forward end and indirectly through the wedge blocks at the rear end. Forward movement of the coupler is transmitted ,through the side links to the rear follower compressed, movement in either direction creating a vast-amount of friction with little recoil in the well understood way. The whole arrangement of parts shown'in Fig. 10 has been herein designated the yielding pressure resisting member, and while the particular type illustrated is preferred, inasmuch as it has certain advantages to be presently pointed out in this particular combination, it is obvious that other types of yielding pressure resisting members may be employed, without material change in the other features of the invention.

At the rear end, the yielding pressure resisting member and follower blocks are held in proper position and in alinement by a supporting strap bestseen in Fig. 8. At an intermediate point they are supported by a bottom plate which is shaped to rest on the strap (let the rear end and be detachably connected with the casting D at the front end by bolts 9, best seen in Fig. 4. This arrangement permits the parts to be readily assembled from the under side of the car, or to be removed for repair by the detachment of the plate Q. The parts are held against upward movement by arch-like straps R and R bridged over the same from the webs of the sills A, as best seen in Fig. 8 of the drawings.

The castings D and I which substantially fill the space between the sills A are made sufficiently heavy to withstand the strains to which they are subjected, being for this purpose provided with strengthening ribs extending both laterally and longitudinally of the sills and with flange-like faces resting against the sills for the passage of attaching rivets extendin through the flanges, of

the castings and we s of the sills.

With the type of pressure resisting member hereinbefore particularly referred to, it is found that the wedge blocks will readily ad ust themselves to any slight lateral or upward play ofthe parts without decreasing the efficiency, thus with the wedges 0 arranged vertically with relation to each other, asjshown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and in plan in Figs. 1 and 2, lateral strains on the coupler which tend to advance one-of the side links L farther than the other and to correspondingly tip the follower block H will simply result in the wedges O assuming an intermediate angle with relation to the wedge P and the friction faces of the parts will remain in contact practically I throughout their. whole areas, whereby the efficiency is maintained even under adverse circumstances. .The rear end of the coupler shank takes a firm bearing against the forward follower plate G and any slight lateral movement of the coupler will have its center ber alone moving rearwardly,

strain being taken up by the casting D, if.

of movement at the contacting surfaces forming the bearing between the coupler shank and front follower, if the parts be acting under bufiing pressure. If under the draft strain, the shank is drawn away from the front follower plate and the center of movement will be in the connection with the pin and links as aforesaid.

Under draft strains it will be understood that the coupler, the side links and rear follower blocks all move forwardly in unison, and ultimate strains may be transmitted to, the casting Dthrough the engagement of the" pin F with the front ends of the slots or openings in said casting. 'Under-bufling strains the pin F, side links and follower block H all remain stationary, the coupler shank with the front follower plate G and parts of the yielding pressure resisting memthe ultimate heavy enough to cause the seating of the coupler head against the same. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

- 1. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the

combination with spaced longitudinal car sills, of a casting bridging the space between and'rigidly connecting the ends of said car sills, said casting embodying a face plate bridging the ends of thesills and having a central substantially rectangular opening therethrough for the reception of a correspondingly shaped coupler shank, whereby thecoupler will be supported and guided by the casting, a rear follower block, a stop for limiting the rearward movement ofsaid block, a transverse pin loosely mounted in said casting and forming one member of a connection between the coupler shank and the rear follower block, said pin being movable with the coupler shank under draft strains and stationary under'buflin'g strains, side links connecting said rear follower block and pin, and having their forward ends extended into the rectangular opening in the casting whereby the lateral movement of the coupler shank relatively to the casting is limited by the forward ends of the' side links, a front follower plate seated against the rear face of the casting and bridging the coupler shank opening therein and against which the coupler shank rests, and a yielding pressure resisting member interposed between the front follower plate and rear follower block.

2. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the

combination with the spaced longitudinal car sills, a casting bridging and rigidly connecting the ends of said sills, said casting having a'face plate forming a stop for the head'of the coupler and having a' central substantially rectangular aperture therethrough for the coupler shank, a seat-on its rear face for a forward follower plate, and

a guiding flange projecting rearwardly of said seat, the follower plate normally resting in said scat within the flange and bridging the rear end of the opening through the casting, a rear follower block, a casting rigidly connecting the sills in rear of said follower block and forming a stop therefor,

pins extending transversely through the fol-- lower block and casting at the end of the sills, side links connecting said pins, a yieldingpressure resistin member mounted between the follower p ate and follower block for yieldingly resisting relative movements ing an ultimate stop for the inward movement of the coupler head and having a substantially rectangular opening therethrough in which the coupler shank is guided'and mounted, a transverse longitudinally elon gated opening for a coupler shank engaging pin, a seat on the rear face of said casting for the reception of the follower plate, and a guiding flange projecting rearwardly' around said seat, a rear follower block, a"

stop for limiting the rearward movement of the block, a follower plate seating against the front casting, a yielding pressure resisting member intermediate the follower plate and follower block, .side links connected at their rear ends with the follower block, a

transverse pin mounted in the opening in the front casting and cooperating with said side links, and a coupler shank looselymounted on said pin and normally resting at its rear end against the follower plate, said coupler shank having a longitudinally elongated opening for the reception of the pin, whereby under draft-strains the follower block, links, pin and coupler will move forwardly in unison, and under bufiing strains the coupler and forward follower plate will move rearwardly independently of the link and pin. 7

4. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with the spaced longitudinal car sills, a casting rigidly connecting ing therein for the insertion of said pin 10- cated forwardly of the normal position of the pin to facilitate the assembling of the parts.

5. In a draft rigging for railway cars,

the combination with the spaced longitudipler shank, a seat at its rear side for the nal car sills, yielding pressure resisting member, rear follower block, stop for limit- I ing the rearward movement of said block,-

and front follower plate, of a casting rigidly connecting and bridged between the front ends of the sills, said casting embodying a front plate forming an ultimate stop for the coupler head under buffing strains and having a substantially rectangular opening therethrough for the reception of the coufollower plate, a guiding flange projecting rearwardly from said seat, and atransverse pin opening therein elongated longitudinally of the car, a transverse pin mounted in said pin opening for retaining the coupler shank in position, .and side links connecting said pin and rear follower block, substantially as described.

6. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with spaced longitudinal car sills, a casting bridged between and rigidly connecting the ends of said sills and embodying a face plate overlying the ends of said sills, said casting having a longitudinal coupler shank opening therein, a transverse follower plate seat at the rear end of said opening, and a transverse lougitudinally elongated pin opening in the casting intersecting the coupler shank opening, a follower plate seated against the rear of the casting, a rear follower block having a rearward extension with a transverse pin opening therein, a casting rigidly mounted between the sills and constituting a stop against which said follower block rests, transverse pins mounted in the openings in the follower block and front casting respectively, side links connecting said pins, and a ryielding pressure resisting member interposed between the follower block and follower plate foryieldingly opposing the relative movement of said members toward each other.

7. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with the spaced longitudinal car sills, a casting rigidly connecting and bridged between the ends of said sills, said casting having a longitudinal coupler shank opening therein with a transverse follower plate seat at its rear end, and a coupler shank pin opening intersecting the coupler shank opening and elongated longitudinally thereof, side links having their forward ends located. within the coupler. shank opening and connected with said pin, a rear follower block having a transverse pin opening therein, a'. pin located in said opening and engaging the rear ends of the Side links, a stop casting for limiting the rearward movement of the follower block, a yielding pressure. resisting member mounted between the follower block and follower plate and a supporting strap for the yielding pressure resisting member comprising a rear member having its ends connected with the longitudinal car sills, and a front member overlapping the rear member and detachably secured to the casting.

8. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with spaced longitudinal car sills, of a casting bridged between and rigidly connecting the ends of said sills and embodying a face plate overlying the ends offsaid sills, said casting having a longitudinal coupler shank opening therein, a transverse follower plate seated at the rear end of said opening, and a transverse longitudinally elongated pin opening in the casting intersecting the coupler shank opening, a follower plate seated against the rear of the casting, a rear follower block having a rearward extension with atransversepin opening-therein, a casting rigidly mounted between the sills and constituting a stop against which said follower block rests, transverse pins mounted in the openings in the follower block and front casting respectively, side links connecting saidpins" and having their forward ends extended into the coupler shank opening in the front casting whereby the lateral movement ofthe coupler shank relatively to the casting is limited by the forward ends of the side '4 links, and a "yielding pressure resisting member interposed between the follower block and follower plate for yieldingly opposing the relative movement of said members toward eaohother.

9. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with spaced longitudinal Y car-sills, of a casting bridged between and rigidly connecting ,the ends of said sills, said casting having a longitudinal coupler shank opening therein, a transverse longitudinally elongated pin opening in the casting intersecting the coupler shank opening,

a follower plate seatedagainst the rear of r the casting, a rear follower block having a transverse pin opening therein, transverse pins mounted in the openings in the follower block and casting respectively, side links connecting said pins and having their forward ends extended into the coupler shank opening in the front casting whereby the lateral movement of the coupler shank relatively to the casting is limited by the forward ends of the side links, and ayield-' ing pressure resisting member interposed between the follower block and follower plate for yieldingly opposing the relative movement of said members toward each other. v r

10. In a-draft riggingfor railway cars, the combination with spaced longitudinal car sills, of a casting bridged between and rigidly connecting the ends of said sills,'said casting having a longitudinal coupler shank opening therein, a transverse longitudinally elongated pin opening in the casting intersecting thecoupler, shank opening, a fol lower plate seatedagainst the rear 'of the casting, a rear follower block having a transverse pin opening therein, transverse pins mounted in the openings in the follower block and casting respectively, side links connecting said pins and having their forward ends thickened and extended into the coupler shank opening in thefront casting whereby the lateral movement of the I coupler shank relatively to the casting is' 

